Read Online Tomb of Zeus (Atlantis) by Christopher David Petersen - Free Book Online Page B

Throughout the ages, we have suffered at the hands of our enemies. We were nearly extinguished by the Romans and forced to renounce our lineage. Their treachery could not break our spirit. Their evil merely forced us to carry on in secret. For nearly a thousand years, we guarded our sacred history. Then, the Knights Templars tried to bring ruin to our secret society, but their evil too, was thwarted. Their fall became our revenge. Now, a thousand years later, we are at the steps of greatness and the world will soon know their place… at our feet.”
    He paused for effect, then continued:
    “Today is truly a great day for the Society of Arae. For nearly seven thousand years, the mystery behind Zeus’ lost scepter has gone unresolved. All leads, all searches have been in vain… until now. News agencies from Greece are reporting the discovery of Zeus’ burial chamber. Furthermore, experts are predicting they’ll find the great scepter buried with him. My friends, our wait is finally over.”
     
    ----- ----- ----- -----
     
    The following morning…
     
    In a small outdoor café, overlooking the shore of Palaiopoli, now renamed Atlantis, Helena sipped her coffee. Glancing back at the great white limestone pyramid, she felt a wonderful sense of anticipation as she plotted her next moves. Turning back toward the water, she stared out at the low waves lapping at the shoreline and allowed her mind to move from tangent to tangent. At that earlier hour, 6:15am, she was the café’s first customer. All was peaceful and quiet.
    Taking a sip off her coffee, her peaceful respite was interrupted by the sound of her vibrating phone. She stared at it momentarily with nervous anticipation as it moved across the table top with each cycle of vibration. Picking it up, she stared at th e number. Feelings of animosity as well as excitement, conflicted her thoughts.
    She reached for the phone and pressed a button.
    “Good morning Sir, so glad you called. I’ve got some great ideas I wanted to share with you.” she answered in businesslike tone.
    “I’ve already made arrangements. This is what we’re going to do,” he started, rudely ignoring her comments.
    “But Sir, I think I have some great ideas that could help out,” Helena persisted.
    “Never mind that. At 8am your time, you’ll meet with one of my assistants at the Papyrus Café on the northern side of Atlantis. He’ll have all your paperwork ready and will explain the details of our plan. I’ll be checking on you periodically and will be expecting results,” he stated bluntly.
    A moment later, Helena heard the sound of a disconnected line, then a dial tone. She stared at her phone in disbelief.
    “What a complete ass,” she blurted in anger. “Who hangs up a phone like that? I’m so sick of his crap.”
    She took a deep breath and tried to exhale her frustration. While she c almly finished her coffee, she could only speculate on the high priest’s plans.
     
    ----- ----- ----- -----
     
    Atlantis, Greece
    The Papyrus Café
     
    Helena sat outside the café in a private table she selected, away from other patrons. As she sipped her coffee, she noted the time: 8:10am.
    “Hmm, late,” she muttered to herself, disapprovingly.
    Moments later, a casually dressed man with gray curly hair in his early sixties, entered the small patio of tables and headed for Helena. She stiffened slightly at the sight of the man, and smiled. Without a return smile from the approaching stranger, she adopted a businesslike posture and stood up to greet him. She extended her hand:
    “I’m Helena Romanos,” she said, her voice devoid of emotion.
    “I’m Christian Laikos,” he responded. He motioned with his hand, “Please, have a seat.”
    Helena stared at him a moment. She had a sense of familiarity about him.
    “Do I know you?” she asked.
    “Our community is small. I’m sure we’ve crossed paths before.”
    Helena only nodded.
    “Karl Sita called me last night. We’ve worked